Free Web NovelChapter 157: Preparing for the Unknown
The following weeks became some of the busiest weeks of Aurelion’s life.
Ironically, they were also among the quietest.
No wars erupted.
No political crises demanded immediate intervention.
No assassins lurked within shadows.
No noble conspiracies threatened the stability of the Empire.
Instead, Aurelion found himself confronting something far more unusual.
Preparation.
For the first time since the Tower’s appearance, he had accepted a simple reality.
His entry was no longer a question of "if."
It was a question of "when."
The realization altered everything.
Before, he had observed.
Researched.
Analyzed.
Now he acted.
The Imperial Academy quickly transformed into the center of his preparations. While Tower City continued growing beneath the shadow of the Celestial Tower, Aurelion spent most of his days within the Academy’s restricted facilities. Ancient training grounds. High-level simulation chambers. Experimental magic laboratories. Places normally inaccessible to ordinary students became his daily routine.
Every hour mattered.
Every improvement mattered.
The Tower rewarded growth.
Therefore, growth became his priority.
The Academy’s largest combat arena had been reserved exclusively for his use. The structure resembled a miniature fortress more than a training facility. Reinforced walls rose nearly fifty meters into the air while dozens of protective enchantments covered every surface. Such precautions were necessary. Aurelion’s magic had long surpassed the level expected of ordinary mages. Unrestricted training often resulted in accidental destruction.
Today proved no different.
A massive firestorm erupted across the arena.
Flames surged upward like dragons emerging from the earth itself. The temperature skyrocketed. Protective barriers immediately activated, preventing the inferno from escaping beyond designated boundaries. At the center of the destruction stood Aurelion.
Sweating.
Breathing heavily.
Focused.
A second spell followed instantly.
The flames vanished.
Not extinguished.
Frozen.
The entire firestorm transformed into crystal-blue ice within seconds. Countless spectators would have considered the feat impossible. Fire and ice magic belonged to fundamentally different elemental systems. Maintaining both simultaneously required extraordinary control.
Yet Aurelion wasn’t satisfied.
The ice shattered.
The spell failed.
His expression darkened.
"Again."
Mana surged.
The training resumed.
Hours passed.
Spell after spell.
Technique after technique.
The process continued relentlessly.
Most powerful mages focused primarily upon increasing raw magical output. Bigger spells. Greater destruction. More impressive displays of power.
Aurelion pursued a different objective.
Control.
Efficiency.
Adaptability.
The First Floor report had changed his perspective dramatically.
The reconnaissance unit hadn’t survived because they possessed overwhelming strength. They survived because they adapted to unfamiliar situations. They solved problems. They learned.
The Tower rewarded versatility.
Therefore, versatility became his goal.
A floating sphere of condensed mana appeared above his palm.
Then another.
And another.
Until dozens surrounded him.
Each represented a different elemental affinity.
Fire.
Water.
Earth.
Wind.
Lightning.
Light.
Darkness.
The sheer complexity should have been impossible.
Yet years of training had allowed Aurelion to accomplish things most mages considered absurd.
Slowly, the spheres began merging.
Not combining.
Interacting.
Dozens of magical systems operating simultaneously.
The result was unstable.
Dangerously unstable.
The sphere exploded.
A powerful shockwave rippled throughout the arena.
Aurelion remained standing.
Barely.
His clothes were covered in dust.
His hair slightly singed.
Several observing instructors exchanged worried glances.
The Crown Prince simply smiled.
Progress.
Failure often indicated progress.
Especially when exploring unfamiliar territory.
The following day focused entirely on swordsmanship.
Unlike magic, swordsmanship possessed comforting simplicity.
A blade.
An opponent.
A fight.
The principles remained consistent.
The Imperial Sword Hall echoed with the sound of steel colliding against steel. Training dummies lay scattered throughout the facility, many already destroyed by previous sessions. Aurelion moved through the hall like a storm.
Precise.
Efficient.
Relentless.
His sword danced through the air.
Each strike carried purpose.
Each movement flowed naturally into the next.
The Tower contained worlds.
Worlds contained people.
People often required swords.
The logic felt reasonable.
By the end of the session, dozens of enchanted training constructs had been reduced to scrap metal.
Aurelion finally lowered his weapon.
Exhaustion tugged at his muscles.
He welcomed it.
The feeling reminded him that limitations still existed.
Limitations could be improved.
Several instructors approached cautiously.
One elderly swordmaster nodded approvingly.
"Your fundamentals have improved."
Aurelion smiled faintly.
"Only the fundamentals?"
The old man laughed.
"Your ego certainly hasn’t."
For perhaps the first time that day, genuine amusement crossed Aurelion’s face.
The following week introduced a different challenge.
Survival training.
Many people underestimated survival skills.
Aurelion had once been among them.
Then Commander Reinhardt’s reports arrived.
Months.
The reconnaissance unit had spent months inside the First Floor.
Months.
Not days.
Not weeks.
Months.
The implication was obvious.
Future climbers needed more than combat ability.
They needed self-sufficiency.
Food acquisition.
Shelter construction.
Navigation.
Resource management.
Skills that seemed mundane suddenly became essential.
To address this weakness, Aurelion traveled beyond Tower City alongside several veteran rangers. The group ventured into increasingly dangerous wilderness regions where evolving monsters had already begun altering local ecosystems.
The experience proved educational.
And occasionally humiliating.
"That’s poisonous."
Aurelion immediately stopped.
The ranger sighed.
"You almost ate it."
"It looked harmless."
"That’s what poisonous plants generally aim for."
Several hours later, another lesson occurred.
"Don’t touch that."
Aurelion withdrew his hand.
"What happens if I do?"
The ranger stared at him.
"You die."
"...Fair enough."
The experience highlighted an uncomfortable truth.
For all his accomplishments, Aurelion still possessed gaps within his skillset.
The Tower would exploit those gaps mercilessly.
Better to identify them now.
By the end of the expedition, he had acquired dozens of practical skills completely unrelated to combat.
How to identify safe water.
How to locate edible plants.
How to track movement patterns.
How to establish defensible campsites.
None of the knowledge felt particularly glamorous.
All of it felt valuable.
As weeks passed, the intensity of his training continued increasing.
Morning.
Magic.
Afternoon.
Combat.
Evening.
Research.
Night.
Planning.
The schedule bordered on insanity.
Yet Aurelion maintained it without complaint.
Because every day brought new reports regarding monster evolution.
Every day brought new stories from Tower City.
Every day reinforced the same message.
The world wasn’t waiting.
Neither could he.
One evening, after completing another exhausting training session, Aurelion found himself standing atop one of the Academy’s highest towers. The city lights of Tower City shimmered across the distant landscape while the Celestial Tower dominated the horizon beyond.
The view never became ordinary.
Perhaps it never would.
The impossible structure remained as overwhelming as the day it appeared.
A soft breeze passed across the tower.
Several moments later, familiar footsteps approached.
Grand Duke Caelion.
Of course.
At this point, Aurelion suspected the man possessed some supernatural ability allowing him to appear whenever philosophical conversations became necessary.
"You look terrible."
Aurelion raised an eyebrow.
"Good evening to you too."
The Grand Duke laughed.
"You’ve been training like a madman."
Aurelion didn’t deny it.
The accusation happened to be true.
Caelion joined him near the edge of the tower.
For several moments, neither spoke.
The silence felt comfortable.
Then the older man sighed.
"You know."
His gaze remained fixed upon the distant Tower.
"No amount of preparation will ever be enough."
Aurelion already knew that.
The statement remained true regardless.
The Tower contained unknown worlds.
Unknown dangers.
Unknown rules.
Perfect preparation was impossible.
The realization didn’t discourage him.
Instead, it clarified something important.
The purpose of preparation wasn’t certainty.
The purpose was readiness.
Readiness to adapt.
Readiness to survive.
Readiness to face whatever awaited beyond the gate.
Aurelion slowly looked toward the heavens.
Stars stretched across the night sky above the Tower’s swirling storm clouds. The contrast felt strangely symbolic. One represented the familiar world. The other represented the unknown.
Soon, he would leave one for the other.
The thought should have frightened him.
Instead, it felt inevitable.
The age of observation had ended long ago.
The age of preparation was ending now.
Only one stage remained.
Action.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Far below, Tower City continued growing.
Far ahead, the Tower continued waiting.
And somewhere between those two futures stood Aurelion.
Training.
Preparing.
Becoming stronger.
Not because he believed strength guaranteed victory.
But because when the moment finally arrived...
When the gates opened before him...
When the first step into the unknown became unavoidable...
He intended to walk forward without regret.
No hesitation.
No fear.
Only determination.
The climb was approaching.
And for the first time since the Tower appeared, Aurelion felt ready to begin.
Far below, Tower City continued growing.
Far ahead, the Tower continued waiting. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
And somewhere between those two futures stood Aurelion.
Training.
Preparing.
Becoming stronger.
Not because he believed strength guaranteed victory.
But because when the moment finally arrived...
When the gates opened before him...
When the first step into the unknown became unavoidable...
He intended to walk forward without regret.
No hesitation.
No fear.
Only determination.
The climb was approaching.
And for the first time since the Tower appeared, Aurelion felt ready to begin.
Yet even as that thought crossed his mind, he knew readiness was an illusion.
The Tower did not care about confidence.
The Tower did not care about preparation.
Commander Reinhardt had entered with hundreds of elite Imperial soldiers. Many never returned. Entire worlds existed within its walls. Civilizations rose and fell inside its floors. Unknown disasters roamed its landscapes. Time itself obeyed different laws.
Compared to that scale, every training session suddenly felt small.
Every spell.
Every sword technique.
Every carefully crafted plan.
Small.
And yet humanity had always challenged things larger than itself.
Storms.
Empires.
History.
The impossible.
Perhaps that was why the Tower fascinated him so much.
It represented something beyond calculation.
A challenge that could not be solved from behind a desk.
A future that could not be predicted.
A path that had to be walked personally.
The wind intensified around the tower peak, carrying distant sounds from the city below. Laughter. Construction. Life.
People were preparing for a new era.
Some knew it.
Most didn’t.
Aurelion slowly closed his eyes for a brief moment.
When he opened them again, his gaze settled upon the colossal structure dominating the horizon.
One hundred floors.
One hundred worlds.
One hundred opportunities to succeed.
One hundred opportunities to fail.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Whatever waited beyond those gates...
Whatever secrets slept at the summit...
Whatever truth the Tower had descended to reveal...
He would find it.
Soon.
Very soon.
And when that day arrived, the story of the Tower would truly begin.
[To Be Continued]
